Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie and his latest bestseller Have A Little Faith, let AB Conference attendees in on the secret of happiness today. "What subject could be more important?" he asked during an engaging hour-long keynote address.

Well, according to Albom, none. By incorporating polished stories about Albert Lewis (the author's lifetime rabbi) and Henry Covington (the drug dealer turned pastor of Detroit's Pilgrim Church, which for years has been operating with a hole in its roof), Albom recited the only 16 words that Lewis told him are required to be happy: "Be satisfied. Be grateful for all that you have and all that God has given you."

Satisfaction, Albom went on to explain, is found more often in the search than the answer, in the journey and not the destination. But in some cases, the destination is nice, too: Thanks to a 10 percent share of all sales from Have a Little Faith and the generous donations from readers, the gaping hole in Pilgrim Church will be replaced in time for Christmas - with the names of every single donor emblazoned on a ceiling plaque. Now that's something to be happy about.

Related Content

As a public recreation professional, you have the opportunity and privilege to have a positive impact on the life of every member in your community, with programs ranging from learn-to-swim classes for babies to aerobics workouts for seniors — and everything in between. But has it ever felt like the impact of what you do is not fully understood by the community?

Emails: Ex-New Mexico AD Sought to Protect Donors Former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs acknowledged in a draft retirement letter he wrote in early May that he initially withheld information about UNM paying for donors' expenses for a controversial Scotland golf fundraiser to protect the donors. Meanwhile, Krebs forwarded a reporter's questions in April regarding the school's search for a basketball coach to Gov. Susana Martinez's top political adviser at the same time Krebs said Santa Fe did not have any involvement in the search. Those are some of the details that emerged from emails recently obtained by the Journal from the final few months Krebs was athletic director. According to the emails the Journal obtained as part of an inspection of public records request, Krebs also: read more

The thermometer remained pegged above 80 degrees, while high humidity kept air conditioners working overtime for most of July. However, as we wrapped up production on this month's issue, the calendar turned to August and here in Madison we saw our first day below 70 degrees. By the time some of you read these words, school will be back in session and the season's first football games will have already been played.

Competition is fierce, whether your career in athletics, fitness or recreation takes you on the field or not. You need to stay sharp to stay ahead, and there's no better place to hone your gameplan than at AB Show 2017, Nov. 8-11, in Orlando, Fla. Wherever you are on your professional path, AB Show has something to offer. Here's a sneak peek at what to expect from this year's event:

Athletes Open Up About Mental Health Royce White left the NBA three years ago amid demands for a better mental health initiative from the league. Today, playing basketball in Canada, he speaks bluntly about mental illness and salts his conversation with colorful metaphors and off-color language. read more

Opinion: Behavior Among Young Athletes Worsening Last week, with the Little League World Series underway, we heard from Bill Henel, a 20-year Brick, N.J., LL umpire — eventually its chief umpire ‚— who'd had enough. The kids exhibited less and less sportsmanship, while increasingly mimicking the all-about-me behavior borrowed from TV's aggrandizement of the excessively immodest. read more